73 years old travels to Ladakh on his Vespa

73 years old travels to Ladakh on his Vespa

JP Bhatnagar, a 73 year old retired teacher of Kavi Nagar has travelled to Leh /Ladakh on his LML Vespa scooter for 18 consecutive years. According to Bhatnagar, "I just want to spend retirement with charm and vigour and my hobby is to travel. This remote and hidden valley of Ladakh gives me a new zeal to live a meaningful life." A Hindi magazine gave him the epithet "Jaanbaaz"-the courageous one, and his friends found it was so appropriate that they rarely use his regular name. And it is quite not surprising that his fan club has been swelling day-by-day, not only in the small town of Ghaziabad or neighbouring Delhi but in Ladakh too.
On an obvious question why he has chosen this sort of scooter mountaineering to Ladakh, he describes, "Our political leaders have dumped the beauty of this hilly area in the muddle of their political wishes and never take pains to promote tourism in this region despite the fact that central government received a huge foreign grant in tune of approximately Rs 500 crores from Ladakh itself. So my sole aim is to highlight the beauty and necessities of this deprived area and bring it into the mainstream of the country."
Three times record holder of prestigious Limca Book of Records, J.P. Bhatnagar has spent some terrific time on the mountains of Leh where there is no water, no life and even very thick air which always proves fatal for any living entity. But the obsession to study the nature of snow, rainfalls, hard rocks and lonely dead ends of these mountains never stopped him in attaining this highly acclaimed name and work for the region. This journey started in the year 1991 and since then it has never stopped and according to Bhatnagar, "If life permits me, I have a strong desire to travel to Ladakh again for next five years and finally I wish to spend rest of my life in this valley so that my affinity with Ladakhi people and its natural beauty remains attached with me and my soul."
Health conscious and routine gym visitor at the age of 73, Jitendra Prakash Bhatnagar exhorts to GenX, "Our body is our biggest enemy and it always tends towards comforts and luxuries which make us dull and sick, thus it requires rigorous exercise and labour to remain fit and healthy. Ultimately growing age never becomes hurdle in achieving any thing." Like a soldier he is always ready to extend his brave hand for the country. During the Kargil conflict, he was in the valley and lent a helping hand to the Indian soldiers several times. When some 200 trucks carrying supplies to the troops were stuck in slush and sand, he helped the members of the Border Security Force to free them and send them on their way. As he drives away on his LML Vespa, marked with stickers displaying the names of Khardungala and other high altitudes to which it has carried him, the emblem of the National Adventure Foundation, as well as the years he has undertaken these trips in, he leaves in his wake a cheery air of bonhomie.